Material handling truck



Sept. 27, 1938. CROFF 2,131,426

MATERIAL-HANDLING TRUCK Filed Aug 24, 1937 iii Z Y; z 4525:...-

24 INVENTOR,

ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 27, 1938 MATERIAL HANDLING TRUCK Milford L. Croff,Morley, Mich.

Application August 24,

Claims.

This invention relates to trucks and more specifically to a hand-truckfor handling kegs of nails, barrels, bales of barbed wire and similarproducts.

One of the prime objects of the invention is to design a very simple,practical and inexpensive truck which is adapted to pick up, carry, andset down such articles as kegs, barrels, or bales of various size,quickly and easily, without the neces- 101 sity of the user tilting sucharticles by hand preparatory to placing it upon, or removing it. fromthe truck, as is usual with the conventional truck at present on themarket.

Another object is to provide a hand-truck of simple and pleasing design,having engaging means on the lower end of the frame which prevents thearticle being moved from shifting on said truck after it is loaded, sothat itmay readily and easily be wheeled to the desired location with aminimum of time and effort.

A further object is to design a hand-truck having trigger actuatedarticle engaging means for engaging and securing the upper end of thebarrel, keg or bale, so that when the engaging means is hooked onto orinto the article to be handled, and the upper end of the handle swungdownwardly, said article will be brought to proper position upon thetruck preparatory to wheeling it to the desired spot or location.

A still further object is to design a hand-truck which is light inweight, which can be economically manufactured, and which requires aminimum of upkeep and maintenance.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consistsin the combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes maybe made in the form, size, proportion and minor details of theconstruction, without departing from the spirit, or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of my improved hand-truck, the brokenlines showing a keg in position thereon; the solid lines showing theclaw engaging the upper end of the keg, the broken lines showing theclaw in raised position.

Fig. 2 is a plan view.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front view.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail plan view illustrating the claw and fingerconstruction and arrangement.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view thereof.

193 },v Serlfl' NO. 160,651

Fig; 6is an enlarged detail side elevational view of the finger.

Fig. 7 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary part sectional view of. the handle.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing inv which I have shownthe preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 indicates anaxle member. on which a pair of ground engaging wheels 6 are journaledin the usual manner. 10 These wheels can be of any desired design, andare preferably ball bearing mounted to insure easy and smooth operation.A bracket 1 is mounted on the axle 5, and straps 8 serve to secure it inposition, said bracket being curved as shown to suit the curvature ofthe kegs, barrels or other articles to be handled and prongs 9 aremounted in this bracket in spaced apart relation, the projecting endbeing sharpened so as topierce and/ or engage the articles to becarried, and prevent its shifting on the truck.

A preferably tubular hollow handle member H) is secured to the bracket 1in any approved manner, the outer end being bent as. shown at H toprovide a suitable hand grip, and a claw member I2 is mounted on saidhandle at a point intermediate its length, said claw being formed of bariron, the inner end I3 being bent U-shaped to straddle the handle l0,and is pivotally secured thereto by means of the pin l4, thence the freeends, or legs, of the claw diverge, the extreme ends being shaped toform hooks [5 which readily engage the rim or upper end of a keg B orother article. A trigger member I6 is mounted on the handle it), theupper end being formed with an eye I l to facilitate easy manipulationthereof, thence the trigger extends downwardly through the hollow handleand is bent as at l8, this bent section projecting through .a slot l9provided in the handle, the lower end of the trigger being hingedlyconnected to a. rivet 20, which is mounted on the claw.

The claw member above described is designed for use with kegs, casks,and similar articles, but when handling bales of barbed wire, I use afinger 2| formed as clearly shown in Figs. 6 and '7 of the drawing, thisfinger being preferably formed of bar iron, the inner end being mountedon the claw by means of the rivet 20 and is bent as at 22, said bentsection serving as a spacer for holding the finger in proper alignment.The end of the trigger fits in the yoke formed by the bent portion ofthe finger, and the rivet 20 serves to secure the claw, finger andtrigger in assembled relation, the outer end of the finger being shapedto form a hook 24 which is adapted to engage the wire (not shown) whenbales are being handled. When kegs or casks are being handled thisfinger is swung up to position as shown in broken lines in Fig. 7 of thedrawing where it is secured in any desired manner.

The device is simple, practical and economical, kegs, barrels, bales andother articles can be moved wherever desired and with a minimum or"physical effort, it can be operated in close quarters and limited space,and inasmuch as the kegs, barrels or bales do not require tiltingpreparatory to loading or unloading they can be placed tight against awall or removed from such location, which cannot be done with theconventional hand-truck.

From the foregoing description it will, therefore, be obvious that Ihave perfected a very simple hand-truck, which is light in weight, whichis composed of few parts, all of sturdy construction, which is easy tohandle, and which is economical to manufacture.

What I claim is:

1. A hand-truck of the character describe-d including an axle, groundengaging wheels mounted thereon, a pronged, curved bracket mounteddirectly on said axle, a single upwardly extending hollow handle securedthereto, a claw pivotally mounted on the handle and adapted toreleasably engage the article to be handled, and a trigger memberextending through said handle with its one end pivotally connected tosaid claw, the opposite end of said trigger projecting from the handleand being disposed in close relationship therewith to permit actuationthereof Without releasing the hand from said handle.

2. A hand-truck of the character described including an axle havingground engaged wheels journaled thereon, a curved bracket mounteddirectly on the axle and provided with spaced apart prongs mountedtherein, a hollow handle secured to said bracket, a claw memberpivotally mounted on the handle at a point intermediate its length andformed with hooks on the free end thereof, and a trigger member mountedin said hollow handle with its one end pivotally attached to said clawat a point spaced from the pivoting point of the claw member forswinging said claw about its pivot point on the handle.

3. A hand-truck comprising a curved bracket provided with groundengaging wheels and having spaced apart prongs in the face thereof, ahollow handle, a claw pivotally mounted on the handle and formed withspaced apart diverging legs, the outer ends of which form hooks, afinger hingedly connected to the claw, and a trigger mounted on thehandle with its lower end hingedly connected to a common pivot with theclaw and finger, and at a point spaced from the claw pivot forcontrolling the swinging movement of the claw and finger.

4. A two wheeled hand-truck of the character described and including apronged bracket having a hollow handle secured thereto, a claw pivotallymounted on the handle at a point intermediate its length and formed withoutwardly diverging overhanging legs having hooks on the extreme outerends thereof, a finger mounted on said claw, the inner end being turnedto form a spacer and rest, and a trigger mounted on said handle with itslower end pivotally connecting the finger and claw at a point spacedfrom the pivoting point of said claw.

5. A hand-truck of the class described comprising a wheeled bracketprovided with spaced apart prongs in the face thereof, a hollow tubularhandle secured to said bracket, a one piece claw pivotally mounted onthe handle at a point intermediate its length and formed withoverhanging outwardly diverging legs, having hooks on the free endsthereof, a finger mounted on said claw and formed with a reduced turnedend forming a spacer, a trigger mounted on the handle with its lower endextending over said turned end and having pivotally connections with theclaw, said turned end forming a rest to hold the finger in properalignment with the claw.

MILFORD L. CROFF.

